Latvian Court Communicators Visit the Court of Justice of the European Union

From 8 to 11 June, Latvian court communicators visited the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)

in Luxembourg to share experience on fostering dialogue between the Court and the public and journalists, as well as

on how to promote the circulation of information in Latvia about current developments at the CJEU and the General Court of the European Union. The purpose of the visit

was to strengthen cooperation and dialogue within the common European legal area. This was a significant event, as

Latvian court communicators visited the CJEU for an experience-sharing exchange for the first time; moreover, the CJEU

also hosted court communicators from a Member State on an official visit for the first time.

The court communicators had the opportunity to meet CJEU Judge Ineta Ziemele, who emphasised the importance of the role of court communicators

in raising awareness of the work of the courts and highlighting the values of the rule of law in the public sphere.

The court communicators also held a separate meeting with General Court judges Inga Reine and Pēteris

Zilgalvis to discuss current developments at the Court. Laila Medina, the first Advocate General from Latvia to be appointed to this position,

provided a detailed insight into the specific nature of the work of an Advocate General at the CJEU. The court communicators also

had the opportunity to attend a hearing before the CJEU in Case C-343/21, in which the Advocate General appointed in the proceedings,

L. Medina, also participated.

The communicators met with CJEU Director of Communications William Valasidis and Head of the Press and

Information Unit Juan Carlos González Álvarez. Representatives of the CJEU provided information about the practices implemented by the Directorate in communicating with the media and the public in order to

provide information about CJEU judgments and the Opinions of the Advocates General. The communicators had the opportunity to learn

how the CJEU promotes journalists’ understanding of important cases in the Member States and organises the circulation of current information.

The Latvian court communicators discussed cooperation with media representatives and practices for managing social media with the CJEU press officers – Amanda Nouvel de la

Flèche, Corina-Gabriela Socoliuc, Martha Polyxenidou,

Hartmut Ost and Balázs Lehoczki.

CJEU Press Officer for the Baltic States Marta Ošleja introduced the CJEU’s practices and explained how work with the media is carried out

when communicating cases before the CJEU and the General Court of the European Union that are relevant to the Baltic States. CJEU

Publications and Electronic Media Unit administrator Elīna Apine-Despjerisa spoke

about the CJEU’s experience in public relations. Meanwhile, Communications Adviser at the Press and Information Unit

Ketija Strazda presented communication as a tool for shaping the Court’s image.

Head of the CJEU Seminars and Visits Unit Zita Avas informed the participants about the procedures for receiving delegations and visitors at the CJEU

and organising various conferences and seminars. Ilona Skuja, Head of the Latvian Translation Unit at the CJEU, introduced the communicators to the work of the CJEU’s Directorate-General for Multilingualism,

whose main task is to ensure the availability of CJEU documents and case law

in all the languages of the EU Member States.

Following the visit to the CJEU, the Latvian court communicators gained valuable insights that can be put into practice when communicating

about the work of the Latvian courts. The communicators agreed that it is important to inform journalists and the public also about the role of the CJEU

and the General Court of the European Union in shaping Latvian case law.

The following participants took part in the experience-sharing visit: Lana Mauliņa, Adviser on Communication Matters at the Secretariat of the Council of Justice;

Dita Plepa, Head of the Public Relations and Protocol Division of the Constitutional Court, and Public Relations Specialist Zanda Meinarte; Rasma Zvejniece, Head of the Communication Division of the Supreme Court, and

International Cooperation Specialist Iveta Jaudzema; Raimonds Ločmelis, Assistant to the President of the Riga Regional Court for public relations matters; Ilze Butkus, Assistant to a judge of the Administrative District Court and liaison

for cooperation with the media; and Ināra Makārova, Public Relations Specialist for courts and judicial institutions at the Court Administration.

Additional information:

The CJEU is one of the seven EU institutions. The task of the CJEU is to ensure compliance with EU law by ensuring

the uniform interpretation and application of the Treaties, as well as reviewing the legality of legal acts adopted by EU institutions and bodies.

The CJEU comprises two courts – the Court of Justice and the General Court of the European Union. The Court of Justice consists of 27

judges and 11 Advocates General, while the General Court of the European Union has two judges from each

Member State.

In 2022, the CJEU celebrates its 70th anniversary, and European Justice Day is marked every year on 25 October.

In 2021, the CJEU Press Service of the Directorate of Communications published 231 press releases on current developments at the CJEU

and the General Court of the European Union, distributed 601 information letters, mainly to journalists as well as lawyers, and

sent 630 flash messages concerning cases for which no press releases had been published. The CJEU’s review of

2021 is available here. The CJEU has also been active on Twitter and LinkedIn since 2013.

The visit of the Latvian court communicators took place as part of the European Social Fund project “Justice for Development”

(No. 3.4.1.0/16/I/001).

Lana Mauliņa

Secretariat of the Council of Justice

Adviser on Communication Matters

Email: Lana.Maulina@at.gov.lv

Telephone: 67020711

Mobile: 27846380